Legbar is a popular breed of chickens that has an interesting appearance, good fertility and other positive qualities. Breeders often pay attention to this breed of birds, but sometimes they face various problems.
Before you start chickens and roosters of this breed, you need to familiarize yourself with some of the nuances of their content, as well as their characteristics.
Description of the breed
Roosters are powerful birds. Their body shape resembles a wedge. Their chest is rather wide, the back is long. The back itself is flat. The tail is moderately full, tilting at an angle of 45 °. The wings are pressed very tightly to the body. The head is medium in size, the crest is erect, is red and has 5–6 teeth. The earrings are light.
Chickens boast a leaf-shaped comb with 6 teeth. Sometimes it can bend to one side. The eyes of the birds are bright, orange in color. Legs are yellow, very thin, but rather strong. On the legs there are 4 widely spaced fingers. The weight of a rooster is usually 3.5 kg, while a chicken weighs 2.5–3 kg.
The birds have soft plumage that is silky to the touch. A distinctive feature of this breed is a tuft on its head. Because of it, chickens are often called crested. There are several types of legbar, which come in different colors. These are cream, golden and silver birds. The more common color is cream. It can also include silvery gray and pale golden tones, which can create a beautiful unusual color.
The gender difference is pronounced.
Chickens have a clearly marked dark stripe that starts on the head and runs all the way down the back. In cockerels, the stripe is light and blurred. And also the color of the plumage of chickens is darker, various brown tones can prevail in it. For example, there are both soft cream and salmon-chestnut shades.
Character
Legbars will not fight each other, as they have a non-conflict character. Despite the good nature, the cockerels are quite jealous of the hens, trying to protect them and drive away various offenders from them. Chickens are mobile, they like to walk. If breeders decide to breed a breed, they should remember that birds need a specially equipped enclosure so that they can go for walks. This allows the legbar to find beetles and worms, because they need insects as food.
Productivity
At 4–5 months, chickens begin to lay eggs. Its high intensity lasts 2 years. The individual is capable of laying an average of 250 eggs per year. The weight of a specimen can reach 70–75 g. Eggs are oval in shape, blue in color. Due to the unusual color of the shell, the products are quite popular.
Although this breed is very productive, the birds do not have a mothering gene, so they do not turn out to be very good hens that do not like to sit in the nest. There is another problem that prevents Leggers from being good parents: they are overly active. Quite often, breeders put eggs of such chickens under birds of other breeds or buy special incubators.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before purchasing any breed, any breeder first tries to find out all the nuances of its content. Legbars have a lot of advantages.
- They lay unusual eggs with a delicate blue color. Sometimes the eggs take on a light greenish tint. This attracts the attention of many breeders.
- The egg production of birds is quite high.
- The birds have a calm, non-conflict nature, so the owners will not have big problems.
- Good immunity and excellent health of birds allows you not to worry about their condition. Legbars are not afraid of many diseases, and if they get sick, they are able to restore health extremely quickly.
- It is very easy to tell a rooster from a hen. Breeders will be able to do this even if the chicken is only 24 hours old.
But there are also some downsides.
- Birds are very sensitive to temperature. At low values, chickens are uncomfortable, egg-laying may be reduced or completely absent.
- Lack of maternal instinct.
Bird keeping
The birds are not too demanding, they do not need special conditions, but the temperature regime is what you need to monitor. If the keeping rules are followed, the chickens will delight breeders with the maximum weight and large eggs of the original shade.
- In order for the birds to feel good, care should be taken to ensure that they are spacious. Each adult hen should receive at least 0.5 m2 of an extensive hen house. It is necessary to put comfortable perches and nests in the house, which are needed for layers. It should be remembered that one bird needs a 20 cm perch. They are usually located at a height of 1 m. The distance between them is 50 cm. The ideal option is a perch that resembles a ladder.
- Do not forget about walking. Walking chickens is an important aspect of keeping them. A spacious aviary should be made where the birds can safely walk. The breed is extremely curious, chickens like to explore a variety of places, therefore, if the range is free, pets can create a lot of trouble, for example, turn over crops.
Temperature and lighting
Legbars are thermophilic birds. If the temperature in the coop is below freezing, they will freeze. It is necessary to ensure that the temperature varies from 15 to 18 °. In winter, it is necessary to equip the room with a heater, otherwise the birds will feel bad. The floor should be carefully insulated with hay, sawdust and peat. It is important to remember to change the flooring regularly.
Get rid of drafts, but remember that birds need fresh air. Better to make a simple window. In the summer it will be covered with a special net so that various insects do not fly inside. It's also worth making good lighting. This is extremely important in winter, when it is necessary to artificially extend the daytime.
Feeding features
Birds may not eat the food that other breeds usually provide. If breeders are faced with this situation, it is necessary to buy a special feed that is intended for meat and egg breeds. This saves time and effort, as otherwise you will have to prepare the feed yourself. Some people think that birds need some kind of blue food, but these are all fairy tales.
It is strictly forbidden to overfeed the legbar. If they have a large carcass, their egg production will be low. There should be 5-6 ingredients in the feed. This is necessary so that the chickens can get all the vitamins, minerals and other elements they need. The composition should include the following products:
- a variety of grains;
- cake;
- mineral supplements;
- roots;
- fish and meat and bone meal.
And also mineral calcium substances must be added to the feed. A deep bowl should be placed in which shell rock or limestone will be located. You can use chalk. Chickens will feed themselves from a similar container and take supplements when needed.
Care must be taken to keep the food fresh. This is important both in summer and winter. In summer, birds will be able to consume green grass while walking. In winter, you need to use various juicy varieties of vegetables as fresh products. Experienced breeders make wet mixes. Care should be taken to ensure that the birds consume them immediately. What is left should be thrown away, as bacteria will multiply in them.
Many people wonder how much water should be supplied to birds. Chickens consume several times more liquid than feed. And also it is worth carefully ensuring that the water is fresh and clean. To prevent it from getting dirty, you need to put a large mesh on the container with it. This will prevent the leggers from bathing in the liquid and will also prevent chicken droppings from getting into it.
Possible diseases
Birds of this breed have a very good immune system. But sometimes some individuals get sick. There are a number of ailments that can spoil the health of a legbar:
- various infectious diseases such as colibacillosis, salmonellosis, pasteurellosis, Newcastle disease and others;
- non-infectious diseases, for example, gastroenteritis, goiter atony, cloacitis, keratoconjunctivitis and others.
Chickens and roosters can get sick if the breeder keeps them in poor conditions, does not adhere to feeding rules. To avoid various problems, it is important to remember about preventive measures:
- it is worth keeping the chicken coop clean, regularly cleaning it, and preventing the growth of bacteria;
- disinfect the place where the birds are;
- give chickens the necessary vitamins that can support their immunity;
- feed the birds only fresh food, carefully monitor the purity of the water.
Owner reviews
Farmers believe the Legbar is an ideal breed that is easy to grow. It doesn't pose a lot of problems for breeders. It is not difficult to keep such birds, they are not very sick. Birds have a striking appearance, thanks to which they can become a decoration of the yard. This breed can be easily recognized by its color and attractive tuft. Some deliberately breed birds to sell eggs, which are prized in many countries around the world. And also meat is appreciated.
High productivity is another positive quality of the breed.
Reviews of chicken owners indicate that this variety is one of the most popular. Many say that the breed is a real find. Laying hens are capable of producing a large number of eggs that have a delicate blue tint. They look very interesting and original. Their taste does not differ from the taste of chicken eggs of other breeds.
Breeders advise not to overfeed birds. If their carcasses become too greasy, they will stop rushing. Experienced poultry farmers say that the composition of feed should be adjusted, the amount of compound feed should be reduced, and the required amount of grain should be added. Only in this case will the birds be active, cheerful, curious, and will delight the owner with delicious high-quality eggs.
The only challenge in keeping chickens is keeping them at the optimum temperature. But breeders note that this is quite easy to do, only in winter it is better not to forget about the heater, otherwise the birds may feel bad. It is important to remember that breeding birds of any breed means taking responsibility.
You can get the most benefit with proper care.
For an overview of the Legbar cream chicken breed, see the next video.